Two More York Students Off To NYU School of Dentistry

Artur Bababekov and Dmitry Malayev have a lot in common. In the late 1980s both were born in Uzbekistan when it was still Soviet Russia. Both left at about the time of the dissolution of Soviet Union and eventually came to the United States as young children; then both graduated from Forest Hills High School and came to York.

But the similarities didn’t end there.

Interested in the pharmaceutical sciences, both young men ended up being mentored by Mathematics professor, Dr. Rishi Nath; and both are now on their way to New York University School of Dentistry, from which York graduate, Rashida Cheatham, ’05, will graduate this spring.

At York, Malayev was interested in pre-med, pre-dentistry and pharmaceutical science, but had not yet decided which field to ultimately pursue.

“That’s when Dr. Nath came in,” said Malayev. “I was debating between Chemistry and Math so I started taking math and the first time I took Dr. Nath in calculus II, he told me I should major in Math because I’m good at it. I felt it was a good way to go because if I didn’t get into med or dental school I could become a professor.”

According to both students, York’s Math Department has “generous, excellent” professors.

“The professors were awesome,” said Bababelov, who has worked as a pharmacy technician since high school. “They’re always giving you time. Their door is always open.”

Malayev concurs.

“Professor Nath’s door is always open,” said Malayev. “At [another CUNY College] they have 200…300 students in the class and you never see the professor after class. Their door is closed.”

Dr. Nath, one of York’s “cool young professors,” is serious about education and takes great pride in their success.

"Dmitry and Artur's achievement belongs both to them as individuals and also to York College and the Department of Mathematics,” said Nath. “To be accepted into such a prestigious professional school requires great effort and discipline and effort on the part of the students.”

Nath and the students also credit their success to the nurturing a smaller college such as York can provide.

“It is an affirmation of the incubator in which the students developed,” said the Mathematics professor. “I hope other students will consider mathematics major as preparation in critical thinking skills useful for their careers.”

For Malayev who has owned a networking and computer servicing company since high school, coming to York was a wise decision.

“[For] anybody wanting to major in the sciences or math, I’d say York is the best of the CUNY Colleges,” said Malayev, who is now in negotiations to sell his company as he prepares for the rigors of dental school.

According to both students, being mathematics majors made them unique and fortunate candidates on their various dental school applications.

“I was pretty much the only Math major,” said Bababekov. “One [interviewer] told me,” ‘Wow, you’re the first math major I’ve ever interviewed.’”

In late August of this year both Malayev and Bababekov will embark on the next phase of their twin journey. They will be dentists in training together.